This invention relates generally to apparatus for occluding vessels in the body and, more particularly, to apparatus for occluding the vas deferens in a vasectomy in a rapid, safe and minimally invasive manner.
The procedure generally followed in simple vasectomies comprises identifying and then grasping the vas deferens with an appropriate instrument whereupon an incision is made through the subcutaneous tissue adjacent thereto. The vasal sheath is grasped with a clamp and incised with the vas being dissected from the sheath. The vas is then clamped and a segment excised whereupon the distal end of the vas is electrocoagulated, ligated, and then buried within the vasal sheath. The proximal end of the vas is electrocoagulated and ligated. Finally, the skin is closed.
Although this procedure has proven to be quite reliable, it is subject to certain disadvantages. More particularly, the above-described procedure is relatively time consuming, requiring on the order of about forty minutes. The conventional procedure requires a surgical incision which requires all of the precautions normally incident to relatively complicated surgical procedures to be adhered to.